My partner and I both want to have a carrier screen. Do we need to be tested at the same time?

If you or your partner are currently pregnant, we recommend that both of you are tested at the same time. Most of the conditions included in our Expanded Carrier Screen are autosomal recessive. This means that both the man and woman must be carriers of the same condition to have an increased risk of having an affected child. Completing testing at the same time will provide you with risk information in a time sensitive manner.

If you or your partner are not currently pregnant, we recommend that the woman completes carrier screening first. Our Expanded Carrier Screen include 21 X-linked conditions. For these conditions, the woman needs to be a carrier to have an increased risk of having an affected child. Depending on a woman’s results, her partner may not need to complete testing or will only need to complete testing for one or two conditions, instead of the full panel.